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Microsoft Exam Syllabus

AZ-104 syllabus, skills measured, and exam topics

The AZ-104 exam measures Manage Azure identities and governance, Implement and manage storage, and Deploy and manage Azure compute resources. Use this page to review the current official syllabus, major domains, and source links before exam day.

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Skills measured by domain

Use the weighting table to decide where to spend the most study time.

Domain Weight
Manage Azure identities and governance 20–25%
Implement and manage storage 15–20%
Deploy and manage Azure compute resources 20–25%
Implement and manage virtual networking 15–20%
Monitor and maintain Azure resources 10–15%

Detailed outline

Scan each section as a working study checklist instead of one long wall of text.

Manage Azure identities and governance (20–25%)

  • Create users and groups
  • Manage user and group properties
  • Manage licenses in Microsoft Entra ID
  • Manage external users
  • Configure self-service password reset (SSPR)
  • Manage built-in Azure roles
  • Assign roles at different scopes
  • Interpret access assignments
  • Implement and manage Azure Policy
  • Configure resource locks
  • Apply and manage tags on resources
  • Manage resource groups

Implement and manage storage (15–20%)

  • Configure Azure Storage firewalls and virtual networks
  • Create and use shared access signature (SAS) tokens
  • Configure stored access policies
  • Manage access keys
  • Configure identity-based access for Azure Files
  • Create and configure storage accounts
  • Configure Azure Storage redundancy
  • Configure object replication
  • Configure storage account encryption
  • Manage data by using Azure Storage Explorer and AzCopy
  • Create and configure a file share in Azure Files
  • Create and configure a container in Azure Blob Storage

Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%)

  • Interpret an Azure Resource Manager template or a Bicep file
  • Modify an existing Azure Resource Manager template
  • Modify an existing Bicep file
  • Deploy resources by using an Azure Resource Manager template or a Bicep file
  • Export a deployment as an Azure Resource Manager template or convert an Azure Resource Manager template to a Bicep file
  • Create a virtual machine
  • Configure encryption at host for Azure virtual machines
  • Move a virtual machine to another resource group, subscription, or region
  • Manage virtual machine sizes
  • Manage virtual machine disks
  • Deploy virtual machines to availability zones and availability sets
  • Deploy and configure an Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets

Implement and manage virtual networking (15–20%)

  • Create and configure virtual networks and subnets
  • Create and configure virtual network peering
  • Configure public IP addresses
  • Configure user-defined routes
  • Troubleshoot network connectivity
  • Create and configure network security groups (NSGs) and application security groups
  • Evaluate effective security rules in NSGs
  • Implement Azure Bastion
  • Configure service endpoints for Azure platform as a service (PaaS)
  • Configure private endpoints for Azure PaaS
  • Configure Azure DNS
  • Configure an internal or public load balancer

Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%)

  • Interpret metrics in Azure Monitor
  • Configure log settings in Azure Monitor
  • Query and analyze logs in Azure Monitor
  • Set up alert rules, action groups, and alert processing rules in Azure Monitor
  • Configure and interpret monitoring of virtual machines, storage accounts, and networks by using Azure Monitor Insights
  • Use Azure Network Watcher and Connection monitor
  • Create a Recovery Services vault
  • Create an Azure Backup vault
  • Create and configure a backup policy
  • Perform backup and restore operations by using Azure Backup
  • Configure Azure Site Recovery for Azure resources
  • Perform a failover to a secondary region by using Site Recovery

Purpose of this document

  • This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
  • Useful links: Description
  • How to earn the certification: Some certifications only require passing one exam, while others require passing multiple exams.
  • Certification renewal: Microsoft associate, expert, and specialty certifications expire annually. You can renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
  • Your Microsoft Learn profile: Connecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates.
  • Exam scoring and score reports: A score of 700 or greater is required to pass.
  • Exam sandbox: You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
  • Request accommodations: If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.
  • Take a free Practice Assessment: Test your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

Updates to the exam

  • Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
  • We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
  • The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
  • Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Audience profile

  • As a candidate for this exam, you should have subject matter expertise in implementing, managing, and monitoring an organization’s Microsoft Azure environment, including virtual networks, storage, compute, identity, security, and governance.
  • As an Azure administrator, you often serve as part of a larger team dedicated to implementing an organization's cloud infrastructure. You also coordinate with other roles to deliver Azure networking, security, database, application development, and DevOps solutions.
  • Operating systems
  • Networking
  • Servers
  • Virtualization
  • In addition, you should have experience with:
  • PowerShell
  • Azure CLI
  • The Azure portal
  • Azure Resource Manager templates or Bicep files
  • Microsoft Entra ID